How Australia fared at the Milan-Cortina Paralympics

By Joanna Guelas

From Ben Tudhope’s two snowboard medals to Michael Milton’s 20-year comeback, here’s a look at how Australia went at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics.

AUSTRALIA AT THE 2026 MILAN-CORTINA WINTER PARALYMPICS

MEDALS: Two (silver, bronze)

RANKING: =21 (of 55), with Poland

THE STAR: Just as he did at the 2022 Beijing Games, snowboard star Ben Tudhope delivered for Australia in Italy. Now a four-time Paralympian, the 26-year-old overcame a dislocated shoulder to win SB-LL2 snowboard cross silver and banked slalom bronze for the country’s only medals. He was given the honour of being Australia’s flag bearer alongside Georgia Gunew at the opening ceremony.

TOUGH GOING: Promising sit-skier Josh Hanlon endured a nightmare start to his Milan-Cortina campaign, crashing out of the downhill and super-G sitting events. Hanlon, who had impressed in his debut at the Beijing Games, improved on the final day of competition to snare a ninth-place finish in the slalom sitting for his best result.

THEY SAID IT: “F*** off,” Michael Milton said when he was asked if he would compete at the 2030 French Alps Games. The 52-year-old, six-time Paralympic gold medallist was competing at his sixth Games after a 20-year absence.

THE STAT: Australia boasted a record number of five women winter athletes at the Milan-Cortina Games, after Melissa Perrine and Rae Anderson were the only women to compete in the 2022 Beijing Games. A total of 160 women competed in Italy – an increase from 136 in Beijing. Taryn Dickens became the first woman to compete in the vision-impaired Nordic sports for Australia.

FAREWELLS: Milton won’t rule out vying for a seventh Paralympic appearance, but the 52-year-old won’t say he will either. After pulling off a remarkable 20-year comeback, Australia has likely seen the last of Milton in competition. The six-time gold medallist, less than a month after undergoing surgery for a leg fracture, finished 13th in the alpine combined for his best finish in Italy.

NEXT GEN: At 16, alpine skier Liana France is Australia’s youngest female winter Paralympian. France has already marked herself as one to watch, finishing 14th in both the giant slalom and slalom standing. Fellow alpine skier Georgia Gunew boasts just as much potential after an impressive 10th-place finish in the vision impaired giant slalom, just three years since she started competitive skiing.